Written By: Jaidan Slowik, Staff Writer
TIRED: Most teenagers don’t get enough sleep; and in fact almost all students seem to be tired at every hour of the day.
“Nap Time”
Sleep is the sometimes elusive escape from reality that almost all living creatures need to survive. Although we spend a large chunk of our lives sleeping, often our busy human lives can mess up our sleep schedules. While most adults only need seven to eight hours, teenagers and adolescents require more for their growing minds and bodies—somewhere between eight and ten. Of course, who gets ten hours of sleep nowadays?
Addison Snider, a senior at Poly, has a full plate with all the activities she participates in, leaving her with not a whole lot of time to rest. With six classes at Poly, four of which are advanced placement, physics club, art and photography, volunteering, as well as the position of president over our school’s theatre program, Addison rarely has room to breathe. Addison Snider says her extracurriculars, along with hours of homework, make it difficult for her to get home at a reasonable hour, let alone get to sleep.
Addison interates, “assuming I’m not volunteering at RCP, then I don’t get home until nine o’clock.” Addison’s sleep schedule isn’t ideal; on an average weekday, she gets only a few hours of sleep. She notes, “I’m lucky if I get four or five.” Everyone knows that being tired can affect you throughout the day. Ms. Snider claims she is constantly fatigued by her lack of sleep, and her mental health is a constant struggle because of it. “… I’m very reliant on caffeine and coffee, which is probably not healthy. And it messes with my anxiety quite a bit. It makes me less patient with others at times.” While Addison is aware of the consequences of not keeping a regular sleep schedule, there’s not much that can be done since her life is so busy; such is the life of a senior.
“Still Tired”
Delilah Patricio is currently a sophomore and facing a bit of a conundrum. While she doesn’t have a particularly difficult schedule or many activities to juggle, she isn’t as well rested as one might assume. Ms. Patricio says she averages around six or seven hours each night, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. “I don’t know, I’m just like, a very tired gal…” While Delilah Patricio may get more rest than other students, it still isn’t the ideal amount of time for her to be in peak condition. She explained in her opinion, “I would say I’m well rested if I can move.”
As we can see, many people struggle with maintaining healthy sleep schedules. As students, our main priority should be our health and education, and our performance in school is greatly impacted by the hours of sleep we get each night. The importance of sleep can’t be stressed enough. Good night, sleep tight, and make sure you get a full eight hours.